Today we expect over 200,000 customers to flock to Bullring all eager to pick up some bargains. Three of the centre's biggest retailers, Selfridges, Debenhams and Next have all launched their iconic sales today.

Debenhams stores in Ireland opened at 8am to long queues of shoppers Credit: Debenhams Ireland

In Bristol, hundreds of people queued from the early hours of this morning to be among the first through the doors of Cabot Circus' Next store.

Centre director Kevin Duffy said:

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There were a couple of hundred people waiting at 6am, and three hours later the queues are still there waiting their turn to get in.

Shoes at the Boxing Day Sale at the Trafford Centre in Manchester Credit: PA

Twenty-thousand shoppers had arrived at Manchester's Trafford Centre by 8am, said Gordon McKinnon, director of operations.

Dramatic price cuts across a range of sectors have proven very attractive to our customers, huge reductions have been reported in electrical goods, men's and ladies' fashions, toys and footwear.

At Kent's Bluewater shopping centre, queues began to form at 1am with more than 3,000 waiting at 7am.

Robert Goodman, Bluewater's general manager, said: "This is certainly one of the busiest starts ever at Bluewater for the Boxing Day sales."

Chinese shoppers have proven to be the top spenders as footfall rose 31.3% from last year in London's West End, with Middle Eastern and Nigerian shoppers also understood to be among the strongest growth nationalities at the tills.

The international shoppers were being greeted by a retail staff who spoke more than 22 languages combined, including Mandarin.